Healing Arts Scotland Impact Report Event

Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the “Healing Arts Scotland” impact report at the Scottish Parliament. This ground-breaking report showcases the impact of the world’s first national arts and health week which took place across Scotland in August 2024, incorporating 376 events and attracting over 11,000 attendees. The report positions Scotland as a global leader in arts and health and highlights areas in which evidence-based arts programmes can support public health.

The Healing Arts Scotland event at the Scottish Parliament was attended by key representatives of the Scottish Government, and showcased the research outcomes of the report, prepared by Edinburgh University, laying the groundwork for a new Scottish cross-parliamentary group focused on arts and health.

Speakers including Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angiolina Foster, Chair of Public Health Scotland; and Christopher Bailey – Arts & Health Lead, WHO & Founding Co-Director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab, recognised the role Healing Arts Scotland had played in ensuring that scientific evidence for the impact of the arts on health and wellbeing is informing public health policy in Scotland.

As well as the new cross-parliamentary group, policy initiatives directly informed by Healing Arts Scotland include embedding evidence-based arts and health activities in Public Health Scotland to help reduce health inequalities that affect over 5.4 million people and support the prevention and management of physical and mental health conditions.

At the end of the event, Scottish Ballet was designated by the Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organisation as the second global Jameel Arts & Health Lab Healing Arts Center of Excellence, a recognition of its outstanding leadership of Healing Arts Scotland 2024 and its ongoing commitment to improving community health through the arts. This follows the designation of Carnegie Hall in New York during the 2024 UN General Assembly as the inaugural Jameel Arts & Health Lab Healing Arts Center of Excellence.